Tag: ‘Hamilton’

Chicago’s theater productions are not only numerous and doing well, they are often extended to accommodate demand. Here are four show extensions with widely-different styles and themes that you might want to see.

Front, Rashada Dawan, Back left to right Emma Sipora Tyler and Tyler Symone. (Photo by Marisa KM)

Caroline, Or Change

A moving story with book and lyrics by Pulitzer Prize winner Tony Kushner (Angels in America) and score by Jeanine Tesori (Fun Home, Violet) the show has been extended to Nov. 11, 2018. It is a Firebrand Theatre/ TimeLine Theatre production at The Den Theatre, 1329-1333 N. Milwaukee Ave. For tickets and other information call (773) 697-3830 and visit Firebrandtheatre. For more about the show visit Change can be difficult.

Downstate

Steppenwolf Theatre Company extends its world premiere production of a difficult subject by Pulitzer Prize-winning ensemble member Bruce Norris through Nov. 18, 2018. For reviews of the show visit TheatreInChicago. For tickets call (312) 335-1650 and visit Steppenwolf.

WaistWatchers The Musical

The Chicago premiere of this funny salute to friendship, fitness and food at the Royal George Theatre, 1641 N Halsted St.,has been extended through Dec. 31, 2018. For tickets and more information visit WaistWatcher the Musical. For a review of the show visit WaistWatchers.

Hamilton Company at Private Bank Theatre Photo by Joan Marcus

Hamilton

Once again, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s mega hit about Alexander Hamilton co-starring his wife and her family and his fellow founding fathers, has been extended. Tickets are available through May 26, 2019. The show is at the Private Bank Theatre, 18 W. Monroe St. For tickets and other information visit Broadway In Chicago. For more about the show and to see a review visit Hamilton is worth the hype.

Ford Oriental Theatre in the foreground and Cadillac Palace Theatre in the background are two Broadway in Chicago venues. (Broadway in Chicago photo)

Chicago is blessed with a terrific pool of actors, directors, choreographers and theater technicians and a community of theater-goers who really appreciate a good production. But it is still amazing that the Greater Chicago area has 250 theater companies. They share venues throughout the city and suburbs. Thus, there are lots of choices of where to go and what to see. (BTW, some of them like to spell theater as theatre. That’s OK.)

Because there are so many companies it is arguably hard to keep track of what everyone is doing so we’ll look at the 2018-2019 season by area starting with downtown from the Broadway Playhouse to Lookingglass Theatre and more.

First off, the expensive ticket shows seen in New York are brought to the Cadillac Palace, CIBC, Ford Oriental, Broadway Playhouse and sometimes Auditorium, by Broadway in Chicago. Here is what to expect so far at those venues during the 2018-2019 season.

Broadway Playhouse

Located at 175 E. Chestnut St.at Water Tower Place, it has “Heartbreak Hotel” now extended through Oct. 28, 2018.

Cadillac Palace Theatre

The theatre, 151 W. Randolph St. has the pre-Broadway world premier of “Tootsie” beginning Sept. 11 followed by “Miss Saigon” on Nov. 13 and “Fiddler On The Roof” Dec. 18. Then “Kinky Boots” opens on Jan 22, 2019 followed by “Dear Evan Hansen” on Feb. 12, “Come From Away” opens on July 30 and “The Band’s Visit opens next fall on Sept. 10.

CIBC Theatre

At18 W. Monroe, the theatre still has “Hamilton” which is expected to go through Jan. 20, 2019.

Ford Oriental Theatre

Located at 24 W. Randolph St., the theatre has ” Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” coming Oct. 2, followed by “Hello, Dolly” Oct. 23, then “The Book of Mormon” Nov. 20 and “The Play That Goes Wrong,” Dec. 4. Starting off 2019 is “The Lightning Thief: Percy Jackson Musical” opening Jan. 8, followed by “A Bronx Tale” Mar. 12, “Anastasia” Mar. 26, then “Falsettos” May 28 and “Cats” on July 16.

Listen up if you haven’t yet snagged tickets to ‘Hamilton.’ Yeah that mega hit show whose seats are still hard to get, is now extending performances through Sept. 2, 2018, Producer Jeffrey Seller announced Dec 1, 2017.

That means a new, 18 week block of tickets, are now available.

Cast of ‘Hamilton’. Photo by Joan Marcus.

The new tickets go on sale, 10 a.m. Dec. 5, 2017 at its venue, CIBC Theatre, 18 W. Monroe, according to Broadway in Chicago officials.

Tickets will also be sold at the Chicago Ticket Line (800) 775-2000 and on line at Broadway In Chicago.

Prices go from $75 to $195 for regular performances. Some premium seats are available for all performances. The online lottery of 44 seats at $10 will continue.

The maximum number of tickets per household from May 1 through Sept. 2 is 12 for seats.

Tip: Don’t be fooled by non official ticket offers. Best plan is to buy through one of the authorized outlets mentioned above.

In case your kids haven’t been singing the lyrics to ‘Hamilton’ and haven’t now shown more interest in the history of the United States of America’s founding, you should know the show is tells that story as put to hip-hop, rap, jazz, pop, R&B beats by Lin-Manuel Miranda, based on Ron Chernow’s biography of Alexander Hamilton.

BTW, Hamilton was an immigrant from the West Indies who then served George Washington and became the the country’s first Secretary of the Treasury.

More tickets to Lin Manuel Miranda’s hit musical, ‘Hamilton,’ will become available beginning at 10 a.m. Aug. 29, 2017, according to producer Jeffrey Seller.

Cast of Hamilton in ChicagoJoan Marcus photo

Announced in conjunction with Broadway in Chicago, he noted that a 16 week block of tickets can be purchased from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at The PrivateBank Theatre’s box office, 18 W. Monroe St., online at BroadwayinChicago and by calling the Broadway In Chicago Ticket Line at (800) 775-2000.

The new block of tickets extends the run to April 29, 2018. The box office had been selling tickets only through Jan 7 of next year.

Tickets range in cost from $65 to $190. However, the online lottery for $10 seats will continue.

The lottery can be entered through a new app at HamiltonBroadway and at BroadwayinChicago. Access to the new lottery is 11 a.m. (Central Time) two days before the performance and through 9 a.m. the day before the performance.

The show is based on Ron Chernow’s biography of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton. More on the musical can be found at “Hamilton is worth the hype.”

Jeff Equity Nominations

Check the list to see if a theater production you saw and liked made the Jefferson Committee’s equity nomination list. Nominations fall into 33 categories.

Shows had to be running between Aug.1, 2016 and July 31, 2017. The 49th Annual Equity Jeff Awards ceremony will be held Nov. 6 at Drury Lane Theatre, 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace.

Drury Lane Productions took the most nominations at 19 followed by Paramount and Writers Theatres with 15, Goodman Theatre at 14, Porchlight Music Theatre with 13, Court Theatre at 11 and Marriott Theatre with 10.

Here is a list of nominees in the plays and musicals categories for the show, director, actor and actress.

The internationally renowned Chicago Shakespeare Theatre is returning for a sixth year to put on a free show in Chicago’s city parks. This year, the production is a 75 minute version of “Romeo and Juliet,” William Shakespeare’s famous tragedy of two young lovers from feuding families.

Starting off at the just completed Polk Bros Park at the entrance to Navy Pier, performances will be at 7 p.m. July 26-28.. From there it will move to 17 Chicago neighborhoods through Aug. 27, 2017.

Shakespeare in the Parks has been the basis for 1,300 free Chicago ark District’s “Night Out in the Parks” summer events.

The free Shakespeare shows is possible through a partnership of Chicago Shakespeare Theater, the City of Chicago, Chicago Park District, Boeing and BMO Harris Bank.

“Memphis Tony nominee and Drama Desk Award winner Montego Glover will be taking the part of Angelica Schuyler in the Chicago company of “Hamilton” in early September, according to producer Jeffrey Seller. In addition, Broadway cast member Gregory Treco is moving to the Chicago company to play Aaron Burr Sept. 8.

“Hamilton,” the mujlti-Tony Award winning musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda, is at The PrivateBank Theatre, 18 W. Monroe St., Chicago. A touring company will open in LA at at the Pantages Theatre Aug. 8, 2017.

Historian Ron Chernow’s “Alexander Hamilton” a biography about the West Indies immigrant who instrumental in the Revolutionary War and became the first US Secretary of the Treasury.

The atmosphere inside the PrivateBank Theatre was electric March 15 as hundreds of Chicago high school students filed in to watch their peers perform on the “Hamilton” stage.

Alexander Hamilton and cast. Joan Marcus photo

It was the third of what would be 10 student performances during 2017.

By the end of a special education program tying “Hamilton’” to their American History studies, 20,000 Chicago high school students will have seen their peers perform in the morning followed by a regular Hamilton matinee.

If you love the music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, you will love his beautiful, dramatic “Eugene Onegin” opera. The Lyric Opera of Chicago completes its 2016-2017 series with the musically lush opera starting Feb. 26 and going through Mar. 20, 2017.

Based on a Alexander Pushkin’s poetic novel about ill-fated romantic attractions, the Lyric production stars soprano Ana Maria Martinez as Tatiana Larina and baritone Mariusz Kwiecień as Eugene Onegin. The Lyric production is at the Civic Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive, Chicago. For tickets and other information visit Lyric Opera.

Rolling Stones

Tickets are available for the Chicago stop of “Exhibitionism,” the first major touring exhibit of Rolling Stones memorabilia. Opened first in London and currently in NYC, the show will take over Navy Pier’s Festival Hall April 15 –July 30, 2017. Time dated tickets range from StonesExhibitionism.com. $25- $35 for adults to $20-$22 for juniors. Special tickets are $80 for two visits, any time, fast-track entry.m Group tickets are available from Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710. Navy Pier is at 600 E. Grand Ave. Chicago.

At “Hamilton’s” opening night in Chicago ( Oct. 19, 2016), its nearly three hours of rhythmic story-telling and exceptional choreography made it quite clear why lyricist, composer Lin-Manuel Miranda’s show about a Founding Father won several Tony Awards including Best Musical.

Assuming you are one of thousands of theater goers who plan to see Hamilton – the hit musical by multi-award-winning lyricist, composer, performer Lin-Manuel Miranda – when it is in Chicago because tickets are easier to come by and cheaper than in New York, think about why you want to see the show.